New Orleans Pelicans: Kira Lewis Jr. could fix late game woes

The New Orleans Pelicans could use Kira Lewis Jr. to solve some of their late-game problems

The New Orleans Pelicans have a problem, despite their solid 4-3 start. We wrote about it earlier today, and it’s a simple struggle, the Pelicans have trouble closing out games.

Add this to the list of offensive griefs that are plaguing the team’s otherwise fantastic start. Essentially, as soon as the Pelicans get late into close games, everything then lands on Brandon Ingram’s shoulders.

Ingram, who as we know is off to an MVP-level start to the season, is really the only Pelicans player who can create his own shot consistently. That’s the problem. When games into crunch-time, a team needs to give the ball to players who can hunt for their own shots, because that’s how you beat tough defenses in the NBA.

Starting the season, Ingram has been the only player who can close-out games, and we said that he can’t be the only player taking on the load. Now, many people would think that this might mean that the Pelicans need to acquire another closer, but could they already have one on their roster?

Why putting faith in Kira Lewis Jr. could fix the New Orleans Pelicans’ offensive woes

It seems easy to forget now, but the Pelicans drafted Kira Lewis Jr. with the 13th overall pick in November’s 2020 NBA Draft.

The selling point on Lewis, his ability to run the pick-and-roll, and create his own shot. Yes, the Pelicans selected Kira Lewis Jr. because they believed he could be a shotmaker on this team for years to come. So, why isn’t Lewis playing minutes when this Pelicans team needs a shot in the arm on defense?

There’s a couple of reasons. Chief among them is the fact the organization, and head coach Stan Van Gundy doesn’t believe that Lewis is ready quite yet. Their view is that Lewis is a rookie coming into the league after an abbreviated training camp. He doesn’t understand the system yet, and the NBA game might be too fast for him. They don’t want to risk hindering his development by putting him out there too early.

Then there’s Lonzo Ball. Now, the Pelicans haven’t said explicitly what Kira Lewis Jr’s spot on the roster means for Lonzo Ball, but it’s easy to make some assumptions. In a way, Lewis is on the roster to push Lonzo Ball because Ball has been a streaky offensive player with questionable effort. I think that the team wants to give Lonzo Ball one last run to showcase some offensive aggression.

Now, I can understand those two points, but I disagree with them. First, the NBA isn’t like other sports leagues, it’s a sink or swim league. Rookies are put out there all the time, even in seasons like this, and expected to develop on the court. Kira Lewis Jr. should get the same treatment.

And, as far as Lonzo Ball is concerned, I think it’s pretty clear that we all know who he is by now. Ball is a pass-first point guard in the mold of Jason Kidd and Steve Nash, he’s never going to be an aggressive scorer even if teams push him to be.

So why not put Lewis out there to be the guard foil to Ingram? If anything, he’s no worse than what the Pelicans are putting out there now. I think Lewis’ shotmaking abilities could easily boost this offense into one capable of leading a playoff charge.

It’s just a thought, but New Orleans Pelicans fans should definitely keep an eye out tonight against Oklahoma City Thunder to see if Lewis starts to take a role on this team!